The person who helped inspire the passive-investing boom, the late economist Paul Samuelson, became wealthy from his active investments.
The greatest active investor of our time, Warren Buffett, advocates investing passively.
Their paths crossed, decades ago, in ways that should remind us how rare the lightning bolt of a great investing idea is—but also how huge an edge it can provide.
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This article was originally published on The Wall Street Journal.
Further reading
Peter L. Bernstein, Capital Ideas: The Improbable Origins of Modern Wall Street
Benjamin Graham, The Intelligent Investor
Jason Zweig, The Devil’s Financial Dictionary
Jason Zweig, Your Money and Your Brain
Jason Zweig, The Little Book of Safe Money
David Warsh, Paul Samuelson’s Secret